


Wild Side

by undyingUmbrage



Series: ShinDeku Week 2017 [7]
Category: Homestuck, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: BNHA Characters as Homestuck Trolls, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Hunting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 04:56:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11798859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undyingUmbrage/pseuds/undyingUmbrage
Summary: What could be better than a long-overdue hunting trip? A long-overdue hunting trip with a friend!(For ShinDeku Week 2017, Day 7: AU/Free)





	Wild Side

**Author's Note:**

> You thought it was going to be a normal AU, but it was me, Homestuck!
> 
> I tried to make it so you don't have to be familiar with HS to enjoy the story, but here's a few background details that should make it more understandable:
> 
> In this AU, Izuku and Hitoshi are aliens known as "trolls". They're mostly humanoid, with the key differences being grey skin, horns, and various colours of blood (which are organised into a social hierarchy). Izuku has olive-green blood, which is in the middle of the hierarchy and not associated with any psychic powers. Hitoshi has cerulean-blue blood, which is considered lower nobility, and may occasionally manifest mind-control powers. Instead of being raised by parents, trolls are raised by an animal guardian called a "lusus".

Hitoshi resisted properly waking up for as long as he could, but as the minutes slipped past much slower than he would have liked, he had to accept that he wasn’t going to suddenly stop being hungry. Quietly grumbling about the sheer audacity of his digestive system to function normally, he dragged himself from his recuperacoon, hastily washing himself down before proceeding to the fridge.

It was completely empty.

How had he managed to forget? Finding food wasn’t exactly difficult, but it did require leaving the house, which was one of Hitoshi’s least favourite activities. He always tried to pick up as much as he could on each trip, usually recruiting a few neighbours into helping him carry it all (whether they liked it or not).

That was until he had started talking to Izuku Midoriya. The inexplicably friendly troll lived quite far away, but he had found himself in Hitoshi’s neighbourhood as a result of some kind of elaborate roleplay that Hitoshi couldn’t begin to understand even if he tried. After asking for directions back home (which Hitoshi hadn’t been able to give), they had struck up a conversation, ending in them exchanging contact details when Izuku remembered which way to go. Though Hitoshi lived a life where social interaction was kept to an absolute minimum, he still generally wanted any conversations to be as short as possible. It hadn’t been until long after Izuku was gone that he realised why meeting him had been so strange- he hadn’t felt that way about it at all.

He hadn’t expected Izuku to actually message him at all afterwards, let alone offer to help him gather food. Sure, it was mutually beneficial- the cliffs where Hitoshi lived were home to plenty of rare birds and plants that couldn’t survive in lower altitudes- but it had still touched him in a way that he couldn’t really describe. Leaving the depressing sight of the empty fridge behind, he instead switched his computer on, intending to send Izuku a message. Unsurprisingly, he had already received one… well, more than one.

— _allmightyCharter started trolling autonomicGrasp —_

 **AC:** Are you awake?

 **AC:** I’m just asking because it’s kind of getting to the time where you probably should be awake.

 **AC:** Sorry if that sounded pushy, it’s not a big deal if you like sleeping in! Just, let me know when you do get up, okay?

 _That’s kind of cute._ Hitoshi frowned at the thought that had arisen seemingly from nowhere. _I mean… who cares if it’s cute? We’re barely even friends._

 **AG:** Don’t panic, I’m awake.

The message seemed short and kind of blunt, but he couldn’t bring himself to add what he really wanted to say. Typing was meant to be so much easier than talking in person, why was he already failing so hard? He briefly considered just mind-controlling himself into doing it, but that probably wouldn’t work, and it was ridiculous to even contemplate.

Before he could even touch the keyboard again, his computer made the annoyingly chirpy sound that indicated receiving a message.

 **AC:** Good to hear! I mean, I wasn’t really panicking or anything, I figured you were just tired.

Oh god. Izuku was online at that very moment, probably waiting for Hitoshi to get his act together and think of something non-stupid to say. Social interaction had to be a complete scam, there was no way experiencing that kind of pressure was natural.

Slowly, key by key, he managed to tap out what he really wanted to say, resisting the growing urge to delete it and never even think about it again. _He’s a pretty forgiving guy, he won’t hate me if I screw up once… right?_ He jumped when yet another message popped up.

 **AC:** Oh yeah, you’re probably running out of food by now, right? Should I come over so we can get some more soon?

He refused to let himself be distracted. With only a few more keys tapped, it was finished, and he sent it before he could change his mind.

 **AG:** That sounds good, but I was wondering if I could come to your place this time.

The wait that followed was agonising. Pretending not to be worried, he idly opened a few games and other programs, only to close them immediately when he couldn’t summon any interest. Was Izuku laughing at him? Shaking his head in shame and secondhand embarrassment? Blocking him and deleting any evidence of their communication?

After a few minutes that felt like the longest of his life, he received another message. It took another moment to convince himself to even look at it.

 **AC:** Sure! Hang on, I’ll get you a map so you can find it.

— _allmightyCharter sent a file: map.png —_

How had he managed to find someone so perfect?

* * *

After the long journey to the plains that Izuku called home, Hitoshi had revised his opinion somewhat- while Izuku was mostly perfect, his choice of environment left a lot to be desired. It was just slightly too hot for him to be comfortable, and the endless wide-open spaces left him almost nowhere to hide. How did Izuku manage to stay so cheerful? At least it seemed mostly deserted. Constantly running into other trolls (who would definitely be curious about the obvious outsider) would have made him consider just giving up and going home.

The map led Hitoshi to a structure far more complex than the basic one-storey shelter he had imagined. It seemed to be a kind of tower, built around a huge tree. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was not only carefully designed, but also intricately decorated. He supposed he shouldn’t have expected anything less from someone who was not only creative, but also had far too much energy for his own good.

He circled the tower a few times before finding the door, managing to knock without hesitating too much. “Coming!” The shout came from somewhere inside the tower, but Hitoshi couldn’t quite place where. He didn’t have to wonder for very long, with loud footsteps approaching before the door was flung open, nearly hitting him in the face. “Hi!” Wow, Hitoshi had almost forgotten just how cute Izuku’s smile was- wait, did he just think “cute”? No way, he definitely meant to think… wide. Yeah, his smile was really wide.

“Sorry! I didn’t keep you waiting too long, right?”

“What? No, of course not.” Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to say that? After all, the minute he had spent waiting for Izuku to answer the door didn’t really compare to the hours it had taken to find his tower in the first place. “So, are you ready?”

“Almost!” He ducked back behind the door. “You can come in if you want. I won’t be much longer.” Hitoshi blinked, wondering if he had heard correctly. That was no small thing- it took a lot of trust to be invited into a troll’s home, usually reserved for much closer friends or romantic partners. Was Izuku just ridiculously trusting by nature, or (he almost didn’t want to let himself think of it, for fear of being disappointed) did he already mean more to Izuku than he had thought?

Either way, it would be boring to just linger outside his door for however long it took. Trying not to think too hard about it, he followed Izuku inside, making sure the door was firmly closed behind them.

He wasn’t sure why he had expected the tower’s inside to be disorganised, but he was definitely surprised at how neat it was. Izuku seemed to own a lot of things, but they were carefully arranged on shelves and platforms that spanned the height of the tower. The walls were plastered with what looked like a decade’s worth of posters, and a spiral staircase tightly wound around the tree in the middle, leading to an upper floor that seemed to host Izuku’s bedroom, kitchen, and other necessities. It was a unique and odd design, but he had to admit it was interesting- it was a lot like Izuku himself, actually. Though it was far away, he couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious over his own, comparatively ordinary house.

Izuku had somehow completely disappeared in the few seconds he spent looking around, most likely to the upper floor. Hitoshi just decided to wait where he was, eyes scanning up and down the walls in an effort to look at as many posters as he could. Most of them seemed to advertise a wide range of movies, television shows, and comic books, though special attention was given to the superhero genre. Some trolls had natural psychic powers (Hitoshi had done his best to avoid any questions from Izuku about his own abilities- the last thing he needed was for his only friend to stop trusting him), but most hero media treated those as mundane, instead exploring the exciting possibilities of completely different powers. He couldn’t say he was hugely familiar with it, but maybe it was worth another look, especially if Izuku was so enthusiastic about it.

He jumped at a loud clattering sound from above him, hand instinctively reaching for the knife he kept in his pocket. “I’m okay!” He relaxed at the sound of Izuku’s shout. So he had just dropped something? That was… _Stop thinking that he’s cute! You know where this is going and that you’ll be disappointed, so quit being an idiot and focus on getting food._ He couldn’t argue with himself on that, even if it left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth. Either way, he didn’t have much more time to think about it before a large white shape appeared in the corner of his vision.

On his guard again, he turned to the stairs, carefully watching the shape come into a clearer view. The ghostly white creature had a flowing mane with two long tufts of hair sticking up at the front, a strong, slightly arched back, and the softest-looking paws he had ever seen.

He had to touch those paws.

Hitoshi carefully approached, ready to step back at any sign of hostility, but the creature seemed to welcome him. He reached out a tentative hand, daring to brush one of the giant paws. Encouraged by the lack of objections, he continued petting, not even bothering to stop when he saw Izuku jump down the last few stairs.

“Dude. You never told me your lusus was a cat.”

“Well, actually he’s more like a lion, but-“

“Don’t care.” Cats were cats, regardless of size. “You’re so lucky.”

“You think so?” Once Izuku was closer, Hitoshi saw the familiar hunting and gathering tools they used. “I’m pretty much ready whenever you are, just let me know!”

As difficult as it was, Hitoshi managed to pull himself away from the white lion that he could almost swear was smiling at them. “We can go now.”

* * *

It was almost midnight when they left the tower. Eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, Izuku and Hitoshi stayed as close together as they could in the initial search for a food source. It was a prime hunting time, where the animals would be easy to find, but that carried the risk of running into other trolls. Izuku insisted that everyone in the area was his friend and they were in no danger, but Hitoshi still preferred to keep his guard up.

As minutes passed with Izuku basically leading him around, Hitoshi was forced to gradually accept that he had no idea what he was doing. The landscape was completely different to what he was used to, and he had no doubt that the wildlife would be different too. He was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake when he heard a short, almost primal hiss from Izuku. Had he found something? The question answered itself when his companion was suddenly gone from his side, pouncing on a wolf-life creature that appeared to have been separated from its pack.

The first time he had seen Izuku tackle a savage beast with seemingly reckless abandon, his heart had almost stopped right then and there. It was only after he witnessed it a few more times that he started to see details he had missed- the way Izuku always approached at the perfect angle to hit the animals’ blind spots, the graceful leap that never missed its mark, his hands always reaching for the quickest, most efficient kills instead of ripping and tearing wherever he could. He wasn’t tall or bulky, but his tactics and quick thinking helped him take down animals several times his size with ease.

That poor wolf never even stood a chance. When Izuku looked up, licking a small stream of wolf’s blood from his hand, Hitoshi tried his hardest to convince himself that the hammering feeling in his chest was just adrenaline.

After starting successfully, the rest of the hunt continued just as well. After watching Izuku execute a few more perfect kills, Hitoshi felt confident enough to try on his own, managing to bring down a deer with his silent, stealthy approach and a few well-placed stabs. Within only a few hours, they had to call an end to the expedition, only because they had almost too much to carry.

They took a quick break at Izuku’s tower to clean and divide their kills. Much like before, Hitoshi mainly watched and learned from Izuku at first, before joining in at the end. If he had any fledgling feelings for his friend (and he wasn’t willing to admit whether he did yet), they weren’t helped by Izuku constantly encouraging him and calling him a natural. He was undeniably sweet by nature, but Hitoshi was starting to wonder if he really was like that with everyone. It seemed like far too much to be able to keep up all the time.

It was over far too soon. Package of meat in his hands, Hitoshi tried to think of a way to say goodbye that would take just a little bit longer. He didn’t want to forget how ridiculously… wide Izuku’s smile was, and he wasn’t nearly brave enough to ask for a picture.

Speaking of that smile, there was a smudge of blood at the corner of his mouth. It was probably right to tell him. “You’ve got something, right there.” He pointed, trying to show Izuku exactly where he meant.

Looking a little confused, Izuku wiped at the opposite corner of his mouth, completely missing the spot Hitoshi was trying to indicate. “Did I get it?”

“No, the other side.”

“Oh.” His fingers moved a bit closer, but he still missed by quite a bit. “Now?”

“No, further to the left.”

“Got it.” That time, Izuku moved too far left, rubbing at his cheek before just shaking his head in defeat. “Come a bit closer, maybe then I’ll get it.”

Was he serious? Eyes open and alert in case of a trick, Hitoshi leaned just a bit closer, hand extended with the intention of lightly tapping the smudge.

That plan pretty much flew out the window when Izuku took advantage of their closeness to duck forward and kiss him.

The contact was brief, and mostly tasted of blood, but it was warm and he was smiling again and it did things to Hitoshi that he couldn’t hope to articulate even within his own mind. He was sure his eyes looked perfectly normal (if a bit shocked), but that didn’t stop him from feeling like they could easily have been broadcasting his feelings with a pair of hearts.

Izuku didn’t seem nearly as affected, though maybe the faint blush could have been an indicator of something more. “I’ll see you again soon, right?”

It took a lot of effort to cross the gap between their houses, and perhaps even more to get over his own social awkwardness, but he was coming to the realisation that it was hard to look at that hopeful smile and imagine anything he wouldn’t do to see it again.

“Definitely.”

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the end of ShinDeku Week! I had a wonderful time, and I hope you all did too.


End file.
